1992-batch IPS officer Ajay Singhal takes over as Haryana DGP

The Haryana Government had on Wednesday named the 1992-batch IPS officer as the head of the police force.

Earlier, the empanelment committee of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) had met and finalised a panel of three IPS officers from the five names submitted by the Haryana Government. The panel included 1990-batch officer Shatrujeet Singh Kapur, Ajay Singhal and 1993-batch officer Alok Mittal.

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Of them, Ajay Singhal was chosen the new Director General of Police (DGP). He was serving as the Director General of the State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (SV&ACB).

The other two who were left out from the panel included 1991-batch officer Sanjeev Kumar Jain and 1993-batch officer Dr AS Chawla.

Kapur, who is presently Chairman of Haryana Police Housing Corporation, had completed his two years as the DGP but had to proceed on leave following his being mentioned as an accused for abetting the suicide of IPS officer Y Puran Kumar. In his place, the state government had given OP Singh the charge. But he was to retire on December 31.

The state government then sent a panel of five officers holding the DGP post in the state cadre at Level-16 of the pay matrix and having at least six months of residual service, as per the revised 2023 guidelines.

Singhal will have a minimum tenure of at least two years from the date of his assumption of charge in accordance with the Prakash Singh judgment. He is due to retire on October 31, 2028.

According to the 2006 Prakash Singh judgment of the Supreme Court, the “Director General of Police of the state shall be selected by the state government from among the three seniormost officers of the department who have been empanelled for promotion to that rank by the UPSC based on their length of service, very good record and range of experience for heading the police force.” The minimum tenure of two years for DGPs is regardless of their superannuation date.

Singhal hails from Rewari district and holds a degree in mechanical engineering from the IIT, Delhi. He was awarded the Police Medal in 2008 and the President's Police Medal in 2017. He had served in the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, the Railway Police, the Commando Wing, the CID and the Haryana Human Rights Commission. He said, “I express my heartfelt gratitude to the Hon'ble Chief Minister for showing faith in me and entrusting me with this important responsibility.”